John McCain: and i it's entitled "joe biden, you have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt." and i quote completely from the news rept from "vice president joe biden told people attending an ap town hall meeting that unless the

John McCain: democrats supported health care plan becomes law, the nation will go bankrupt. and the only way to avoid that fate is for the government to spend more money. -- quote -- "and, folks, look, aarp knows and people working here today know, the president knows and i know that the

John McCain: here is simply not acceptable," biden said thursday in alexandria, virginia. -- quote -- "it's totally unacceptable and completely unsustainable. even if we wanted to keep it the way we have it, it can't do it financially. we're going to go bankrupt as a nati," biden said. and then he went on to say, "well, people that i s that to

John McCain: say -- quote -- "what are you talking about? you're telling me we have too spend money to keep from going bankrupt?" biden said. the answer is, yes, you." you know, that's a very interesting story. but the thing that probably kes it more interesting is

John McCain: worsen an already bleak budget outlook, increase deficit projections and driving the nation more deeply into debt, the director of the nonpartisan congressional budget office said this morning. under questioning by members of the senate budget committee, c.b.o. director douglas house leaders and the senate

John McCain: health committee do not propose -- quote -- "the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount ." quote -- "on the contrary," elmendorf said, "the legislation significantly expands the fedel responsibility for

John McCain: health care costs." so, here we have -- here we have on the one hand, the vice president of the united states today people that we have to spend money. we have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt. and yet, the congressional

John McCain: budget office says that the proposed changes would weaken our economy and expand the federal responsibility for he the chairman of the senate budget committee, kent conrad, democrat, north dakota, has taken a leading role this morning after receiving

John McCain: elmendorf's testimony on the nation's long-term bud outlook, conrad turned immediately to questions about the emerging health care measures. quote -- "i'm really going to put you on the spot," told elmendorf. "from what you have seen from the products of the committee that have reported -- the committees that have reported, do you see a successful effort

John McCain: being mounted to bend the long-term cost curve?" elmendorf responded, "no, mr. chairman." asked what provisions would be needed to slow the growth in federal spending, elmendorf urged lawmakers to end or limit the tax-free treatment of employer-provided health benefits." that has a little echo

John McCain: associated elmendorf urged l or limit the tax-free treatment of employer-provided health benefits. i don't know where that idea came from, calling it a federal subsidy that encourages spending on evermore expensive health packages. key senators, including conrad,

John McCain: have been pressing to tax employer-provided benefits, but senate l objected, saying the idea does not have enough support among senate democrats to win passage. elmendorf also suggested changing the way medicare reimburses providers to create incentives for certainly forms of that sort are

John McCain: included in some of the packages elmendorf said, but the changes we've looked at so far do not represent the sort of fundamental change, the order of magnitude that would be necessary to offset the direct increase in federal health costs that would result from the insurance coverage proposals. and then, incredibly -- incredibly -- the senate

John McCain: majority leader, harry n. reid, nevada, dismissed elmendorf's push for the benefits tax. quote -- "what he should do is maybe run for congress." unquote, reid said. mr. president, i've disagreed from time to time with the congressional budget office. i have agreed from time to time with the congressional budget

John McCain: office. but i don't think it's appropriate -- i don't think it's appropriate to use that kind of language from the majority leader of the senate about the hard-working people. this wasn't just mr. elmendorf's product. this was the product of end nights and days of work on the part of the congressional budget office.

John McCain: if you disagree with them, as i have in the pt, disagree and give your reasons for for the majority leader to say that -- quote -- "what he should do is maybe run for congress," frankly, i don't think is an appropriate response to the incredible work that these

John McCain: individuals are doing. the senate finance chairman max baucus expressed frustration that the had fallen out of favor in part because the white house opposes the idea. critics of the proposal say it would target police and firefighters who receive generous packages. and if the tax is trimmed will

John McCain: apply to only upper-income beneficiaries, it would lose its effectiveness as a cost-containment measure. quote -- "basically the president is not helping," baucus said. "he does not want the exclusion, and that's making it difficult." but he added, "we are clearly going to find ways to bend the cost curve in the right direction, including provisions that will actually lower the

John McCain: rate of increase in the health care costs. ideas under consideration include health care delivery system reform, health insurance market reform and empowering an independent agency to set medicare reimbursement rates, an idea the white house is shopping aggressively on capitol hill." but baucus is not givi

John McCain: -- is not giving up on the benefits tax. there is still not a lot of interest in it, baucus said. well, you know, what thiss all about -- what this is about is heading in the wrong direction with the wrong fundamentals of what the problems with health care in america are.

John McCain: a fundamental the health care in america is the highest quality in the world. i republican leader and the senator from texas, senator cornyn, at m.d. a the great premier america, where cancer treatment

John McCain: is incredible, there from 09 countries from around the world -- 90 countries from around the world. most of those people were healthy people. they had the opportunity to go anywhere in the world to get the trea they went to the united states. that's true of the m that's true of many other medical facilities and

John McCain: institutions in america. so the problem with health care in america is care. the problem with health care in america is affordability and availablity. the cost of health care continues to increase inflationary nearly double digits. we cannot afford it. the vice president is right when

John McCain: he says it's unsustainable. but when the president says those who want -- that we want to do nothing obvious -- is republicans are. we believe you have to do a lot. we believe you have to d and that in america so that people will

John McCain: have availablity. and not a government-run health care system. so the arctects of the legislation passed through the "help" committee and being considered by the finance committee and came to the house, were fundamentally wrong to start with. they were not attacking the

John McCain: problem of health care in americ and preservation of the quality which of health care in america is what needs to be preserve. how do you install competition? install competition by allowing people to go across state lines to shop for the health insurance policy they want. but that's prohibited now. why is that?

John McCain: why is that? the other is wellness and fitness. we are in agreement, i want to say, in a lot of issues that have not been highlighted in bate on the floor. republicans and democrats, wellness and fitness, rewards by employers for people who

John McCain: practice wellness and fitness. in fact -- in fact probably o of the best known individuals in america today is the c.e safeway. they have had an incredibly successful program for their employees where if they practice wellness and fitness,hey don't smoke, they regularly engage in exercise including membership in

John McCain: health clubs. guess what, they are rewarded for doing so. and the overall cost of health care in safeway have gone down and they told every to come. if you want to encourage our employees to encourage wellness and fitness and let them make a choice, do so.

John McCain: that's the ens of what we -- the essence of what we have to do. plement with health care in america is that too often they're fixed costs, no competition and incentives to drive up the cost of health care. we all know that. we know that there are certain procedures which are more rewarding than others and the system is gaped and that there's

John McCain: -- gamed and there's 10 of billions of dollars of fraud, abuse and waste in the health care system that has been identified on numerous occasions. we also know that medical malpractice is a problem. and we need to reform it. some years ago the state of california not known as a conservative state to say the